Clean communities aid economic climate

I’m writing in reference to a story from Sept. 19 about Act 101, Pennsylvania’s recycling law.

These are hard financial times for our state, communities, and families. The budget negotiations in Harrisburg have been painful. It is likely the final compromise will leave many stakeholders disappointed and dismayed.

The mission of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is to empower Pennsylvanians to keep their communities clean and beautiful.

In Blair County, the Intermunicipal Relations Committee is one of our most valued community stewards.

Clean and beautiful communities are building blocks for economic development, environmental health and strong societies. Whether you live in Altoona or Allentown, people want to live in and businesses want to invest in clean and beautiful communities.

Our partners at the IRC deliver an extraordinary return on investment, providing services such as community recycling, community cleanups and beautification activities and educational resources.

Research from Keep America Beautiful shows that a majority of people want their community to do more to support recycling, not less.

People want to recycle not because it is mandated by law, but because they don’t want to be wasteful.

It is more economical, far better for the environment and less burdensome to residents when a community provides a universal waste and recycling collection program than when residents are required to contract for these services on an individual basis.

Recycling can be challenging, but we must focus on making it more convenient and cost effective, while educating residents about the power of recycling to create new products, grow the economy, support the environment and cultivate stronger communities.

Let’s discuss how we provide universal access to convenient and affordable trash disposal and recycling for all Pennsylvanians and move forward with a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.